Job Description

Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Salary: £24,340 per annum (rising annually throughout the apprenticeship)
Contract Type: Fixed-Term, 24 months
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours
Location: Daresbury Laboratory, Keckwick Lane, Daresbury, WA4 4AD
Closing Date: Sunday, 2nd February 2026
Interview Date: Feb 2026 / Mar 2026
Start Date: September 2026

Are you organised, curious, and excited by the idea of supporting groundbreaking science and innovation? As an Apprentice Project Manager, you'll play a key role in helping teams deliver complex projects that drive progress in areas like data science, engineering, and advanced computing. This is a unique opportunity to develop core project management skills while working alongside experts in a fast-paced, collaborative environment. If you're ready to learn, lead, and grow within the world of science and technology, we'd love to hear from you.

About an Apprenticeship at STFC

We're looking for enthusiastic and motivated individuals ready to develop their skills through formal training and hands-on experience. As an apprentice, you'll gain real-world experience, build technical and professional skills, and contribute to cutting-edge research and innovation in a dynamic, supportive environment.

You'll be fully supported throughout the programme with regular check-ins from a dedicated Apprenticeship Coordinator, structured training, practical experience, and mentorship from industry professionals. Plus, you'll have access to workshops, a peer network, and career development support, helping you feel confident and prepared for new challenges.

Why join the Digital Infrastructure team at STFC?

STFC's Digital Infrastructure department provides the infrastructure and enterprise services that underpin STFC's programme activities. The departments project portfolio includes projects across a number of disciplines including IT Security, Networks, Applications, Telephony, Cloud, Infrastructure, Data Management and High-Performance Computing.

The Digital Infrastructure Portfolio Office is responsible for managing these project activities. It is responsible for managing 20-30 projects each year plus ~2 multiyear programmes with spend of up to £20M. The average annual spend across the portfolio is ~ £5M per annum and they consume about 40% of the technical effort across the department.

Qualifications gained

Level 4 Associate Project Manager

Project Manager Qualification (PMQ)

Associate project manager / Skills England

What you'll learn:

• Project Management Principles: Understanding methodologies such as Waterfall, Agile, and hybrid approaches.
• Project Lifecycle: From initiation and planning to execution, monitoring, and closure.
• Governance and Compliance: Awareness of organizational policies, legal requirements, and ethical considerations.
• Risk Management: Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks throughout the project.
• Budgeting and Cost Control: Basics of financial management, forecasting, and cost tracking.
• Quality Management: Ensuring deliverables meet agreed standards and stakeholder expectations.
• Change Control: Managing scope changes effectively without compromising project objectives.
• Planning and Scheduling: Creating realistic project plans, timelines, and resource allocations.
• Stakeholder Management: Engaging and communicating effectively with stakeholders at all levels.
• Leadership and Team Management: Motivating teams, delegating tasks, and resolving conflicts.
• Communication: Clear written and verbal communication tailored to different audiences.
• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making: Applying structured approaches to resolve issues.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Using tools and techniques to track progress and report accurately.

Training provider

Training Provider: Provek: Level 4 Associate Project Manager Programme | Provek Ltd

Delivery: Blended learning, Online monthly workshop sessions including one to one coaching and self-learning.

What You'll Be Doing- Day-to-day responsibilities

• Secretary of governance meetings including taking notes at these meetings
• Organisation of meetings / governance boards
• Data collation and review to support the PMO processes, including maintaining the report that shows resource allocation across the department
• Responsibility for managing the departments small works process including monitoring progress of active small works
• Review and management of risk registers and ensuring project RAID logs are maintained and up to date
• Supporting the project managers to help deliver the projects
• Maintaining the PMO SharePoint site
• Creation / maintenance of guidance documentation and maintaining project document templates

Entry Requirements

The below criteria will be scored during Shortlisting (S), Interview (I) or both (S&I).

We are looking for the following:

• GCSEs in Maths and English (Grade 4/C or above) (S)
• A level 3 qualification e.g. A-levels, BTEC, T-level or level 3 apprenticeship (S)
• An awareness of basic health and safety (I)
• Enthusiastic and motivated to learn, both in the workplace and through formal training (S&I)
• Enthusiastic and willing to learn about working in a project office environment (S&I)
• Stays organised by keeping track of tasks and managing time well (I)
• A team player who's also confident working independently (I)

Important Information

• To complete the apprenticeship, you will need to evidence passes at 9-4 or A*-C in GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English. For those sitting their GSCEs in Summer 2026, we would need evidence of your predicted grades.
• When applying for an apprenticeship, there is a set residency eligibility criteria that must be met by the applicant. To check your eligibility please click here.
• The training provider will also ask you to complete an initial assessment during the application process. If you already have a qualification in this subject area or similar please include, as an attachment, your transcript outlining the grade/s achieved and modules covered. By applying for this apprenticeship, you are giving permission for your details to be shared with the relevant training provider.

We will be in touch after the closing date, however, please reach out on apprenticerecruitment@ukri.org if you have any questions.

Employee Benefits

• Your salary will increase annually as you progress through your apprenticeship, in line with policy.
• 30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days).
• Flexible working hours.
• An excellent defined average salary pension scheme.
• Easily accessible public transport links/ free parking.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.
• Cycle to work scheme.

For a list of our full benefits, please visit here.

As this job does not fulfil the UK Government minimum criterion for obtaining sponsored migrant worker status we will be unable to apply for sponsorship for anyone not eligible to work in the UK. At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK. You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y

How to apply

Part of our application process involves submitting your CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter should address your suitability for the opportunity based how you meet each essential criteria stated in this advert.

Please note that we hold the right to close this vacancy early if a sufficient number of applications have been received.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers and business support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe's largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what's possible!

About Us

UKRI - UK Research and Innovation
UKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.

Supporting some of the world's most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.

More information can be found at www.ukri.org.

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit 'How we support EDI in the workforce'.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

About the Team

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation where curiosity-driven, blue-skies thinking meets practical, application-led science and engineering. Our goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people - and more broadly to the world.

One of Europe's largest research organisations, we're trusted to support, enable and undertake cutting-edge projects in an amazing diversity of fields. Through world-class facilities and people, we're driving ground-breaking advances in science, engineering, computing and technology. Our research seeks to understand the Universe from the largest astronomical scales to the tiniest constituents of matter, yet creates impact on a very tangible, human scale.

For more information about STFC please visit https://stfc.ukri.org/
You can also visit our careers site https://www.stfccareers.co.uk/